Why Trump-loving Utah is the greatest state in America
I was wrong about Utah. I had assumed, before visiting, that I wouldn’t like it – that it would be an odd and backwards place. It’s the birthplace of the Mormon faith, after all (I’m atheist). It’s home to the world’s most famous “trad wife”, Hannah Neeleman, the influencer behind Ballerina Farm, among countless other scandalously wholesome social media personalities (not my bag). I was also there during the US presidential election in November, and it being a red state, I was at first jarred by the number of Maga hats I was seeing (I have no affiliation to any political party, at home or abroad).
And yet, Utah also turned out to be perhaps the greatest destination I’ve ever visited. It’s absurdly beautiful – a medley of golden canyons, emerald rivers and wide-open roads – with a warm, welcoming and, yes, majority Trump-supporting population. It’s also home to arguably the planet’s most magnificent hotel, the Amangiri. I’m still wasting my time perusing Utah property websites several months later and have even entered the green card lottery in a last-ditch attempt to move there. It’s that good.
Indeed, this south-western American state – which borders splendid Colorado to the east, debauched Nevada to the west, sun-soaked Arizona to the south and mountainous Wyoming to the north – regularly tops the country’s liveability indexes. This is, in part, thanks to having the third-strongest economy in the US, and plenty of perfectly preserved national parks to boost its inhabitants’ wellbeing. Telegraph Travel’s own ranking of America’s 50 states placed it top in the experience category, and for good reason.
Utah has, in recent years, been attracting an increasing number of wealthy and trendy inhabitants – many from the San Francisco tech set – and thus pushing house prices up to some of the highest in the nation (not good news for me and my plans). You might also want to visit before every other traveller catches on, because while it’s still underrated, everyone I’ve since asked who has been is emphatic about its glory.
One piece of advice? Utah is not the sort of place in which you want to meander off the beaten track, unless Mormon churches and acres of cow-dotted farmland float your boat. Its best bits are popular for good reason. That said, I spent a week driving through its well-beaten trails in mid-autumn (a great time to go) and did not, despite being in scenic heaven, feel at any time swamped by other tourists.
My voyage started in Las Vegas; the easiest place to fly direct from London. Here I spent one night at the Virgin Hotel; a lavish assault on the senses – entirely fitting for Sin City – before picking up a rental car from Enterprise and remembering, as I always do, why I love the US so much (excellent service, even when it comes to car hire).
After crossing into Utah I needed fuel, and was helped by not one but two gallant passers-by. The first helped me ascertain whether my car was petrol or diesel by sniffing the fuel cap; the second saw me struggling with the nozzle and jumped in to end my humiliation. Each and every Utah resident I met thereafter was bafflingly warm and kind – more so even than your average chipper American. So much so that I was starting to wonder if there was something in the water, or whether, perhaps, Mormonism is the key to happiness after all.
If you go, do the following. Start in the Zion National Park at the small, charming town of Springdale, where you can collect all the gear you’ll need (waders, waterproof boots, Gandalf pole) to hike the Narrows – a staggering gorge with walls 1,000ft tall and just 20ft wide. I would not describe myself as a keen hiker, but this one, in which I stomped upstream along the glass-clear turquoise-hued Virgin river as autumn leaves pirouetted around me, will stay with me.
For lunch, dine at Springdale’s iconic Oscar’s Cafe, a rustic spot full of smiling lumberjack-shirt-wearing outdoorsy folk. Feast for dinner beside the roaring fire at King’s Landing Bistro, famous for its fresh salmon. And lay your head at Hotel DeNovo, a cosy, modern, reasonably priced motel with an excellent restaurant.
Not a fan of hotels, or even other people? Then arrange a stay at East Zion Resort, a collection of cosy, Nordic-style glass cabins and Airstreams from which to stargaze. You are given a code to enter your abode and at no point have to encounter another human. Don’t miss the nearby Thunderbird Restaurant, an eccentric diner known for its pies and full of vintage memorabilia, which looks much the same as when it launched in 1940. Also worth a pit stop is Ruby’s Inn Cowboy’s Buffet, an establishment I returned to multiple times, which has a general store attached that sells lovely souvenirs.
As I mentioned, I am not much of a hiker and I am certainly not religious, but I did have something of a spiritual epiphany as I drove the Scenic Byway 12 to Bryce Canyon and completed the Navajo Loop. This national park, which boasts the largest concentration of hoodoos (thin, multicoloured columns of rock) in the world, has vistas so breathtaking and trees so unusual I found myself muttering to them, King Charles style, as if they were sentient beings. I got stuck in a harrowing snow blizzard on the way to my next location and sought shelter near the town of Boulder, where the charming owner of the Burr Trail Grill opened up just for me and insisted on serving a plate of fried green tomatoes as we waited for the skies to clear.
From there, the small city of Kanab – self-proclaimed “Little Hollywood” on account of the many films that have been shot in its wacky terrain – is a lot of fun to stroll through. I was taken on a tour through Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon, a mind-bending maze of caves and cacti, where more new species of dinosaurs have been found in the past 30 years than anywhere else on the planet, my guide informed me. I was driven, to my delight, in a Tesla Cybertruck, which tackled the sand dunes like a small spaceship.
Just as Donald Trump was announced as the winner of the 2024 election, with the collective sense of triumph palpable, I checked in to Amangiri: the very reason I came to Utah in the first place. This remote hotel – an otherworldly spread of brutalist architecture with a glittering horseshoe pool carved out of the sandstone boulders – has been top of my wish list for years.
It didn’t disappoint. Vast windows and artfully arranged concrete beams throw golden sunbeams through its majestic interiors. Fireplaces hiss from every corner as they burn oak and juniper. Each plate of food is a work of art. I had more fun on its on-site Via Ferrata – an obstacle course of iron ladders and precarious bridges that wind up the canyons – than I’ve had in a long time. And once again, every guest we encountered was almost suspiciously warm and friendly. All, that is, except the film star Jim Carrey, who was hiding behind his baseball cap every time I spotted him.
I spoke to many Utah natives, to ask why they seemed so content. Tiffany Pliler, a creative director and model (and Mormon), told me: “My husband and I have moved 15 times together. We’ve been abroad, to seven different states, and now are back in Utah – most likely for good. There is such a strong sense of familial community here. And its natural diversity will always bring me peace faster than anything. Nowhere else compares.”
Heather Ashinhurst Stone, another Mormon, who had just returned to her homeland after many years away, believes faith has something to do with it. “The doctrine of the church is to be kind, and to love and serve others – outsiders included,” she said. “Our regular meetings and gatherings also bond us closely together, something I think is missing in so many modern societies.”
I doubt I’ll ever get that American visa. But I have to say, I’ve never been more pleasantly surprised by a place and its people. I can see why it scores so highly for liveability. What I can’t see is why it hasn’t yet been inundated by tourists. It can’t possibly stay this way forever.
How to do it
Virgin Atlantic flies from London Heathrow to Las Vegas from £527 return. From there, Utah’s southern border is less than a two-hour drive. Start planning your trip with Visit Utah. Rates at Amangiri start from £3,100 per night based on two sharing full-board.
